St Valentine

Saint Valentine

Basic information about him

Saint Valentine is also known as Valentine from Rome and Valentine from Terni.

He lived in the second and the third century in Rome. He was a bishop and a Christian martyr Saint Valentine is worshiped by the followers of Catholic

and Syrian church.

Saint Valentine's life

He's mentioned in 'Roman Martyrology' twice, as a Roman priest and a person who was cut while persecution of Christians.

He was a doctor but also a priest living mainly in the third century in the Roman Empire ruled by Claudius the Second. This caesar forbade young men in age between 18 and 37 to get married, because he thought that the best soldiers are those men who haven't got a family. Valentine, who was a bishop, broke this prohibition and blessed their marriages and because of that he was thrown into the prison, where he fell in love with his watchman's daughter. According to the legend, his fiancee was blind and under the influence of the love, she recovered sight. When caesar found out about it, he told to kill Valentine.

How he died

During Christians' persecution, he stood by the people sentenced to death with st. Marius. He was told to deny believing in Jesus, but st. Valentine didn't want to, so in order to convince him to deny his faith, Claudius the Second told to use sticks. St. Valentine was killed the 14th of February. The previous day, he wrote a letter to his beloved and signed it: ,,From your Valentine”.

Patronage

According to many legends and stories he's known as a defender against serious illnesses, especially mental diseases and epilepsy. In the USA, Great Britain and nowadays also in Poland he's a patron of people fallen in love.

Iconography

In iconography st. Valentine is presented mainly in a priest's costume with a chalice in his left hand or in a bishop's costume with a sword in his right hand during healing a boy who is ill with epilepsy.

Iconography

In iconography st. Valentine is presented mainly in a priest's costume with a chalice in his left hand or in a bishop's costume with a sword in his right hand during healing a boy who is ill with epilepsy.

The end